Posted by Sammy_boy
I admit it - my curiosity got the better of me today!!
I've just put my name on the list on one of those websites that claim to get you the latest mobile phone for £20 - I'm going to report on how I get on, if the phone arrives, etc. You know the ones, Ebay's full of them, and I've often wondered if they work - I've heard from a few people who say it does, you just have to be patient. I've 'ordered' a
K700, and looking at the list I should get it (if I get it?) in about 2-3 weeks when enough people have signed up and paid their £20 (25 people in total)
I'm not going to put the link here, for starters I'm not sure if I'm allowed to anyway. If anyone's interested, PM me and i'll give you the link. In fact, please do if you're interested - I get to jump the queue a bit if I refer someone!
Which of course, sounds like an incentive to attract as many people as possible to the site, which would work in your favour as it means you get your phone quicker.
I have to admit I'm a little concerned at the moment - my name hasn't appeared on the list yet! I'm hoping this is because the site hasn't updated yet to include me, but I've made my £20 payment by Nochex (or Paypal if you like) and will be recieving my 'ebook' and a signal booster (
) soon. The K700 is apparently the 'free' gift, whereas I've paid for the ebook and the signal booster (which probably gives the website a get-out clause if things go wrong or they're not making enough money!)
Anyways, I'll report on how I get on if anyone's interested, and if I recieve the phone!
Posted by Jim
Oh yes finally a real experience, I was allways curious about such things
. Keep us updated with any changes
Posted by Elrond
Yeah, keep us updated. If this really works, then it would be great, but I'm not very optimistic in this case.
Posted by ultimatemobiles
I cant believe anyone would sign up for one of these sites! Its just a modern day version of the old pyramid scheme scam!
Posted by BOOYAR
It sounds to me like its a pyramid scheme but using phones as payment, very clever but obviously a con. Remember a pyramid is thin at the top (the winners of the scheme) and wide at the bottom (the loosers) and why are they started, because there's someone at the top reaping the benefits
Posted by Sammy_boy
Looks like people are interested either way!! £20 isn't a huge amount of money, although I'll certainly be very annoyed if I lose it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained......
What worries me with this site is that they say that they could cancel lists without notice or without compensation as the phone they class as a 'free gift' from the ebook and signal booster.
Posted by BOOYAR
But you never know, it could be some generous billionaire with alot of time on his hands. Fair play to you for trying
Posted by Jim
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He knows that and we all too but he had the courage to try it for his curiosity, wich I think we all have. So great respect to sammy
Posted by Sammy_boy
Thanks. From what I can gather, person one signs up, then he has to wait until another 25 (in this case) sign up, and then the person at the top of the list gets his phone sent out. The time before the first person gets the phone depends on how long it takes the list to fill up.
If you think about it, by the time 25 people have signed up, that's £500 to the organiser of the site. Folk get a phone for £20, and the site organiser gets £500 for a phone that probably cost him £300.
Sounds too good to be true, but only time will tell......
Posted by haynesycop
believe me it works i have recieved 2 sony ericsson p900 mobiles, an ipod and i £500 cash alternative from 4 different sites
i sold 1 p900 for £325, the ipod for £200
and i kept the other p900 for myself, theres no way i could afford to buy one
good luck with it
there can be a few dodgy sites out there, i guess i was lucky
Posted by Sammy_boy
Thanks @copperfield!
I'm still not on this list yet, hopefully because it hasn't been updated yet.
I've been doing a few calcuations. It looks like I'll be 12th on this list, and looking again at the way this works, it looks like 25 people have to sign up before the first person on the list gets his phone, then another 25 have to sign up for the second person to get one, etc. Which means that, if I am 12th in the list, 300 people have to sign up before I get my phone!!
So, the site's owner will get £500 for each phone/full list (25 on list multiplied by the £20 they paid equal £500), and he will have recieved £6,000 by the time I get my phone (if!!) (£500 x 12).
Now, if an average of one person a day joins this site, then it will take 43 weeks before my phone is dispatched. It will be obsolete by the time I get the K700!! And I very much doubt that 300 people will sign up.
Apparently I can refer other people, or even refer myself, which means I can jump the next person in the queue. So, if I refer myself 11 times to get to the head of the queue, I will then pay £220 for the phone, which wouldn't be far off the asking price for the K700!
I suspect in these lists only the top person, or the top two people will recieve anything. I am wondering about asking for my money back, before it's too late! It appears this scheme works if you're right at the top of the chain, like @thecopperfield appears to have been, but the further down you are, the less likely you are to recieve anything.
Posted by 50Cent
i saw a "investigation" of one of these site on ShortChange UK. They found that the time it takes for you to get ur phone is a realllly long time. By the time the owner sends out 1 phone hes made over a grand. Other website just send you a cd and will never send you a phone, no matter how long u wait. However trading standards agencies are having trouble shuttin them down because they are selling you goods (the CD) and you are only entered to get the "oppourtunity" to get a phone.
But i am v.interested to see how this goes.
Best of luck
Twista
Posted by don_vercetti
I've always been curious about these. Really good of you to actually do it, satiate everyones curiosity about whether they work or not.
I personally wouldn't touch it with a 10ft barge pole, but i don't have much money to spare and i'm paranoid as hell.
Posted by 50Cent
Its a good idea for a scam. cos £20 to most ppl isnt that much and gets the person thinking "i'll give it a shot". then hundred of other think the same thing.... u'd be rolling in cash
Posted by BOOYAR
If you want a phone you'd be better off starting a pyramid scheme yourself. The money you make will allow you to buy one
Posted by 50Cent
lol, then u get caught and fined! back to square one.
Posted by Sammy_boy
I'm doing a bit of buying/repairing/selling on Ebay at the moment, so I'll probably try to save some money up with what profit I make there and perhaps buy a K700 that way.
Looking at where I'm going to be in the list on this website, I think we're ALL in for a very long wait!!
Posted by Sammy_boy
Well - I've just appeared on the list as the 12th person who'll recieve the phone!! Only need another 300 people to sign on now.....
Posted by Lembo
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I'm not sure of this.
If you have to wait for 25 people to hand in their £20 and they also go on the list.
Does that mean every £20 this site gets they need to fork out for a phone?
Posted by 50Cent
so the owner will get 6000 for sending out 12 phones.
say the phone cost about £300 each
300 x 12
=3600
6000-3600
=£2400 prfofit.
correct me if my addition/subtraction is wrong
Posted by Sammy_boy
@twista -
I think that's how they work. They will only send a phone out every time 25 people have signed up, and the site's owner has recieved £500. If it's costing them £300 for each phone, then the owner gets £200 profit on each phone.
Posted by 50Cent
yeah clever scheme but sum ppl just take the £500 and leave it that.
Posted by Lembo
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The tax man we'll love that!
Posted by 50Cent
hehe
Posted by BOOYAR
I don't think any1s posted that they've tried it yet. You could check the se website, they will have a list of compatible devices
Posted by MikLSP
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Hmm, posted in the wrong topic perhaps? It's always confused me how this happens
Posted by BOOYAR
Yes that was meant for the k700 forum. God knows why it ended up here
Posted by Sammy_boy
Oops. never mind!
Nothing further to report yet - no one else has joined the list!
I have to admit I was tempted to try putting my name down for a Nokia 7610 - as it was a brand new list with no names on! But I didn't want to waste another £20. I also suspect that the site's owner accidentally on purpose won't update those new lists for a day or two - to tempt people to put their names down and pay their £20 in the hope they'll be top of that list!
Posted by etaab
Ive been tempted myself in the past to invest £20 in the site i know you're talking about, not to get myself a phone (that would be a suprise if i did) but as you done have done, sacrifice my own money to test whether this type of scheme works so that if it doesnt, id be able to tell people.
I never got round to doing it as i was pretty sure my concerns would be correct, and the way you've done the math, it looks like we're all right not to pay these people our money. Good job Sammy
Posted by 50Cent
@Sammy_boy
are you moving up the list at any pace??
Posted by pmerryman
I too have sent my £20 too one of these sites on the internet. I put my name down for the nokia 6600, as this was the best phone on there at the time. I will be interstedf to see if mine turns up, I need this list too fill up twice more before I get my phone, It would have been once more but somebody queue jumped me by refering somebody else (bugger).
Posted by Sammy_boy
Sadly, I've not budged an inch!!
I've recieved my signal booster now and the 'Ebook' CD! I've not had chance yet to look at the CD yet, but will do soon
One other thing - I tried chickening out a few days ago! I sent an email to the site asking for a refund and to be taken off the list - and didn't hear a peep from them.
It appears that once they have your money, you won't get it back
Posted by 50Cent
not exactly the best of signs...
Posted by MonsterOfArt
I have signed up to about 15 to 20 different lists on different sites and got my SE T630 from one and an iPod and iPod mini from another so they do work it just depend on where you are. I can garentee you that you will not get your phone but if you are 12th in the list. I'm first on a K700 list, next on a P900 list, first on a tablet DVD list and second and 3rd on a few others. When your adding up remember to include the extra charges, such as the CD posting and pakacing for the items and the free gift, noy much but it all adds up.
P.S. Can you PM me the site your on just to see it, got a list of about 50+ so I'm just curious.
Posted by Sammy_boy
Another update.... Another TWO people have joined my list!! whoohoo!!
Only another 198 to go.....
Posted by Jim
You sure about that ? I mean the list is pretty long then and you will see your phone in 2/3 years ...
Posted by Sammy_boy
@ Jim... probably when we're onto the K1700, got 4mp camera phones, and 4G phones are doing the rounds!
Or, more likely, I'm going to check the site a couple of months down the line and it will have dissapeared...... having made thousands.
Posted by Sammy_boy
A little update.... not that there's much to update!
There's now been 4 more people who have joined the same list as me..... Only another 296 and I get my K700!
And the person who runs the site is on holiday.... I wonder how he managed to afford that?
Posted by wapchimp
Damn I have the wrong kinda website
Posted by Sammy_boy
I think I'm in the wrong kinda business!
Posted by plasmadog
hey,
maybe u can contact the guy who's in charge of this (the guy on holiday).call/mail and tell u'll give him something extra if u are pushed up the list.
it might work.
else tell him u are an undercover journalist looking to break a big story on scams like these. see if he relents.
lol
but, u are brave really! bravo!
Posted by Sammy_boy
I'll have to try the undercover journo one!
Posted by chazam
Perhaps a way to more sucess with theese schemes is to bid on one when the product is new. if you can get in there early you stand a very good chance!
I wouldn't do it tho.....
I'm too chicken!
Posted by BOOYAR
Can we have an update, have you moved up the list?
Posted by Sammy_boy
Not much movement I'm afraid!! 4 people have joined after me in the 4 weeks since I joined. A few people have PM'd me for the website, saying they'd refer me, but no-one has done yet!
There's been no movement or people joining for a few days, as the site's organiser is on holiday at the moment. In a caravan somewhere in Eastbourne, I'm sure
Posted by kimcheeboi
i would refer you... PM me the web addy too!
Posted by etaab
Why ? want to burn your money too ?
Posted by Sage
Ive done one before, just get ure name on the list early (i was 2nd in line) and youll get it. Thats how i got a Nokia 6600 and an IPOD both of which i sold. Another way is to pay the 20 pounds multiple time (like 5 or 6 ive seen) under different which should help moving you up the line because of the referal and because it fills up the sales til next product shipped out etc but i didnt try that. Its a good strategy tho.
Anyway just to clarify just get your name on the lists very early 1-3rd in line and youll get your product just as i did.
Posted by kimcheeboi
or perhaps join a chain very early on
Posted by Residentevil
Looks like another illegal pyramid scheme to me.